Weighty Matters: The Skinny on Fat #Corgis

March Madness continues, my friends, with today’s post. A re-run of the single MOST popular one ever published on The Daily Corgi!

Don’t let your clever dogs dissuade you from reading it … it’s about feeding them less … they won’t like it. Nope! But they’ll live longer and feel better if they’re trimmer. Here’s help, and advice, if you need it.

Throughout the year, our rescue takes in many overweight Corgis with multiple health issues. It’s not from neglect that these dogs are coming to us, it’s from not knowing. From owners of Corgis who think Corgis are cute when they’re chubby, or who just don’t realize their 34 pound or 40 pound Corgi is not only overweight, but in pain or fighting other medical issues. These dogs are uncomfortable.

We all know it: Corgis LOVE their food! And we LOVE our Corgis! But falling for their lies of starving only hurts them. We don’t want to hurt the ones we love. Everyone has their own ideas on feeding, kibble, canned, raw, a mixture of both. I won’t go into what is best here, as each approach has pros and cons. We each have to do our research and do the best we can, but as with all things, feed in moderation.

The Corgis here at Arizona Cactus Corgi Rescue are fed ½ cup of kibble with a tablespoon of canned (yes we spoil our babies here too) twice daily. Each dog is evaluated on intake and put on their special type of food. They get low calorie treats in moderation, and we add water to the food. Not only is water a filler, many dogs don’t drink enough water during the day. Adding water helps with urination, especially for dogs at risk for bladder stones. It helps in defecation and in preventing constipation and dehydration. Even in small amounts, dehydration affects all bodily functions.

We’ve had a number of not just chubby Corgis (2-5 pounds overweight), but extremely obese Corgis, unable to walk or stand up without assistance. Even rolling over, they are unable to get back up sternal.

Joey

Our largest Corgi in was Joey, weighing 80 pounds. Joey had to be hefted out of the space behind the bench seat of a small Toyota truck. It took four people and a sling to get him out, and when he was out he couldn’t handle the 4” curb. For him it was like climbing Mt. Everest. He would roll over and literally be stuck and we would have to go in and roll him back. During all this, Joey would grumble and snap because he was in so much pain. As time went on and he lost his weight (portion control, canned pumpkin and green beans and small amounts of exercise), he began to “run”. He felt better, and over time required less pain medication.

Once his weight was down to 42 pounds, we were able to do surgery to remove a 5 ½ pound fatty tumor.

Joey with the good doctor.

This is 5 ½ pounds of fat; frozen with the fluids out it’s smaller, but imagine carrying this amount of extra fat day in and day out. To give you an idea for comparison: on a 25 pound dog, seven pounds of weight is equivalent to 42 pounds of weight on a 150 pound human. * Think how you feel when you’re above your ideal weight; a bit more sluggish, joints achey, you’re bloated and uncomfortable. One pound of weight on your Corgi is equivalent to six pounds on you!

Joey died of old age at the ripe age of 13 years old and the wonderful weight of 35 pounds. He was feeling good and running and playing for the last two years of his life, feeling better than he had in quite some time.

Dr. Diane Paster, DVM, DABVP, CCRT, CVPP, is the medical director for the rescue and a Corgi Mom herself, with three Cardigans, three Pembrokes and one very cute little Corgi mix. Dr. Paster has valuable insights regarding the medical aspects of how excess weight affects our pets. “Fatty tissue does not just store energy” she states. “Fatty tissue can produce proteins which promote body-wide inflammation and contribute to arthritis pain. The benefit of weight loss in osteoarthritic patients has been documented in many veterinary studies.”

“Extra poundage also puts a strain on other organs such as the heart and lungs. With excessive obesity, the paws become misshapen to compensate for the weight distribution.”

“Overweight females are unable to clean around their vulva appropriately, causing dirt and debris buildup. Skin folds trap moisture, causing skin irritations and bacteria buildup, which can also lead to urinary tract infections. Urinary tract infections are painful, and infection and an unbalanced pH leads to stones, necessitating surgery to remove them.”

Bladder stones removed from one dog.

Sissy Baby is with us now. She came in at 65 pounds.

Due to her frame and body structure, she is actually more obese than Joey was at 80 pounds. When I went to the animal control center to get her, we actually had to roll her into a wheeled “dumpster” and take her out to my van, where we rolled her out and got her into the van using a sling and four people. Getting her out by myself back at the kennel was something to see. Sissy Baby couldn’t stand up at all. Her knees were too weak to support her. Literally, she would lie and pee and poo, unable to get up and go out on her own.

Hers is an excessive case of obesity, but it happens … all the time. Although she’s still way overweight, Sissy Baby has so far lost 18 pounds and is able to get up on her own now. She even “runs” with me a few steps. She plays with the other dogs. Still, she suffers from skin issues because of skin folds that stay moist, and her vulva has to be cleaned daily to help prevent urine scalding and urinary tract infections. Her paws are misshapen, from compensating for the weight distribution.

When feeding, much of the time it is the perception of the person that there isn’t enough food in the dish. We anthropomorphize our pets, believing if they are round and “fluffy” they are happy and cared for. It shows our love for them. We believe they must be “starving” if they say so. We look in their food dishes and think “that’s not enough food, they’ll think I’m starving them”. A few extra kibbles every feeding, every day, adds up to extra weight. Because it’s gradual and we’re with them every day, we don’t see it. But it happens all the time.

Here is a comparison: the same amount of kibble, ½ cup, in both a larger and smaller bowl. When using the bowl on the right, it’s too easy to add “just a few more kibbles” to make it look fuller. Use a smaller bowl, reduce the kibble amount and add green beans or 100% canned pumpkin. Both of these foods are high in fiber and no fat content. Frozen green beans may be used in place of bone treats for a good crunchy treat.

Bart

Generally speaking, your Corgi should have an indentation right above the hips. You should be able to lightly run your hands along their sides and feel their ribs. Keeping them trim and in shape will help to extend the years you can enjoy their antics and love in your life.

Bart has the right shape. See the indentations just in front of his hips? He has a nice hour glass figure.

I want each of my own Corgis to live forever, never having to part with them. I am privileged to say that my own pack of nine is doing very well. A 15 year-old Westie mix; my first Corgi boy Speck (now 14 years-old); his little sister Gator still runs agility at twelve years-old. Then we have 10 year-old Monkey, 6 year-old Gidget, 5 year-old Turbo, 4 year-old Diamond, 2 year-old Parker, and let’s not forget our baby, one year-old Wesley the Westie. None of them are starving and are at optimum weight. I am hoping for them to last forever — as I hope your Corgis do!

Vicki and Gator

Vicki and Diamond

Note: Dogs pictured in this post are all Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Cardigan Welsh Corgis are naturally larger proportioned, but the good sense approach to weight management applies equally.

*Comparisons based on equivalent weight percentages do not reflect physiological differences between dogs/cats and humans.

Great story, but I'm not getting some of the images. The first one (of the three dogs and Vicky)is fine, the next six are missing and won't open (other than the one of the fat tumor.) It tells me they will open in a new window if I click, but then they won't open. Might be me or my computer, but the rest are fine.

Great article and such IMPORTANT information! I know Cody would eat constantly if I let him! All of the pictures did not show up for me…did anyone else have this issue? I would really like to see them all.

The only comment I have is that you do need to qualify that when you give the weight range as normal for a "corgi" you're actually talking about the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and not the Cardigan Welsh Corgi. I have Cardigan Welsh Corgis who are very athletic and in shape. I just took my baby dog to the sports vet for his 6 week "tune up" and she complimented me on his weight and muscle tone. She said this was exactly what she wanted to see. He was sleek, muscular and has a nice waist. He's 43 pounds and that's a perfect weight for him. Our Pembroke is at a nice weight for her, which is 22 pounds.

The only comment I have is that you do need to qualify that when you give the weight range as normal for a "corgi" you're actually talking about the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and not the Cardigan Welsh Corgi. I have Cardigan Welsh Corgis who are very athletic and in shape. I just took my baby dog to the sports vet for his 6 week "tune up" and she complimented me on his weight and muscle tone. She said this was exactly what she wanted to see. He was sleek, muscular and has a nice waist. He's 43 pounds and that's a perfect weight for him. Our Pembroke is at a nice weight for her, which is 22 pounds.

My almost 9 yr old pem boy lost 2 lbs and is moving so much better. He has arthritis. It wasn't that he was overweight, just at the upper limit for his size. Seeing is believing the difference a pound or two makes.

I totally agree that Corgies need to be watched carefully or we will over feed them. My Annie gets half a cup of kibble twice a day with a some nonfat yogurt. Her treats are limited to a little carrot once in a while and a treat like milk bone or a peanut butter bone from Costco when i leave and one at night for bedtime. She has to roll over to earn it because all treats are earned.

Great article! Our Jack has had spinal surgery for IVDD, so maintaining a healthy weight on him is all the more important. My husband is the one who always felt like 2 treats meant more love than 1, there's no real difference between a heaping 1/2 cup of kibble vs a level 1/2 etc. When Jack gained weight (as we were forewarned) during his healing period – being crated for 8 weeks, such limited ambulation etc – we knew he needed to lose about 4 lbs. It took handing my husband a 5lb bag of sugar and saying "He's got about this much extra weight!" for him to really process it. Jack gets only healthy treats now (loves his frozen pumpkin treats) and fewer treats as well. He is used to the new way of things and doesn't even seem to notice that he no longer gets the weight producing treats of days gone by, or that where he used to get 2-3, he now gets only 1 treat. Will have to show your article to Bob when he gets home from work as a reminder that we are doing what's best for our best friend!

Thank you for this wonderful article. I rescued an overweight boy that I am now trying to slim down. Everybody thinks he is a "cute, little chubby guy," but I know it's not healthy for him. I hope people read this and take it to heart!

Thank you. We received a45 lb PWC and slowly got him down to 32. We found one of those slow down the eating bowls helped to give a sense of eating what Himself thought of as a full meal. As you noted, once the extra weight started dropping, the energy level rose dramatically.

GREAT article. We have two corgis that have always been fairly fit and shapely, though they are larger and taller than your average corgi, so determining their healthy weight was somewhat challenging. The summer heat in AZ has left them less active and they've put some weight on, so I will be trying some of Vicki's tips with their meals to get them back down to size. 🙂

That is the exact diet I have my Corgi Chester on, 1/2 cup Blue Buffalo with a little warm water in the morning and then again in the evening. During the day he gets a couple of treats and I must say he stays real good shape, the 3 grandkids really keep him active.

Awesome post Vicki! We watch our Amber's weight closely and feed exactly as you had described, however, we all know how hard it is to not give in to the Corgi stare! It's for their own good and yes, I want them all to live forever:-)

And to those having difficulties with images, perhaps it's your browser (Internet Explorer)? Try using Google Chrome, I had no issues.

Awesome post Vicki! We watch our Amber's weight closely and feed exactly as you had described, however, we all know how hard it is to not give in to the Corgi stare! It's for their own good and yes, I want them all to live forever:-)

And to those having difficulties with images, perhaps it's your browser (Internet Explorer)? Try using Google Chrome, I had no issues.

I have 2 Corgis and they have been in the 38-45 lbs range. We feed 3/4 cup of a weight loss diet with Green beans. Thanks for your article, I am going to take them back to 1/2 cup. The Food Manufacturers really mislead you on what to feed. According to the bag of my Diet (A very good Name Brand) I should be feeding 2 1/2 cups per day – per dog! Yikes! My dogs are not working dogs but we do get out to play for a least an hour every day. But my "kids" do have some of the issues you describe. Very Scary. I want them with me for as long as possible! Thank you!

I have a very large Pembroke Corgi mix I adopted from the local shelter last year. Molly MooMoo was extremely overweight when I got her and I've been trying so hard with her for (both of us) to drop the weight. She weighed close to 80lbs (yikes)her first vet visit, plus she had a broken leg that had set crooked before I got her. We went through a bad period of my Mom getting sick and dying not long after, and fell into depression for awhile. Now I've moved and changed her food to "Taste of the Wild" dry kibble with a couple chunks of canned chicken breast 2x daily for her meds to be hidden in. Instead of bones or biscuits, she and her Lab sister (not overweight) get carrot sticks, and beg for them! I've had recent knee surgery so it was a setback for some exercise but starting more walking again. She's down about 10lbs now and much more active so hope by next year she'll be even better! I want my little girl to be around a long time!

I have a very large Pembroke Corgi mix I adopted from the local shelter last year. Molly MooMoo was extremely overweight when I got her and I've been trying so hard with her for (both of us) to drop the weight. She weighed close to 80lbs (yikes)her first vet visit, plus she had a broken leg that had set crooked before I got her. We went through a bad period of my Mom getting sick and dying not long after, and fell into depression for awhile. Now I've moved and changed her food to "Taste of the Wild" dry kibble with a couple chunks of canned chicken breast 2x daily for her meds to be hidden in. Instead of bones or biscuits, she and her Lab sister (not overweight) get carrot sticks, and beg for them! I've had recent knee surgery so it was a setback for some exercise but starting more walking again. She's down about 10lbs now and much more active so hope by next year she'll be even better! I want my little girl to be around a long time!

Thank you thank you thank you. My family is guilty of all of that. The only thing we do correctly is measure Apollo's food and add pumpkin. If we drop food, as long as it's not chocolate or booze, we let him clean it up. I constantly give him overly large treats or a spoonful of peanut butter. My husband and I are medically classified as morbidly obese. We monitor our boy closely at home so he doesn't become overweight–now we need do that with our four-legged "boy" as well. thanks again

How should a owner of a puppy corgi feed them to keep them from being over weight I don't want to under feed her and stunt any growth or development but I don't want to over feed and make her a fatty . Right now im feeding wellness grain free about 1c a day and quite a few treats since she is still in training but they are fruit and vegetable based with low calories. Or her chondroiton glucosamine beef jerky sticks. Also when and what kind of supplements should I start her on to optimize my time with my love ive had her since she was 12 wks and shes now 5 months shes growing like a weed and I caught myself feeding her more when she was growing bc her ribs were showing please give advice

Wow, did this blog ever generate a conversation. Thank you so much for posting this. Bless all of you for being conscientious. I am pleased to hear that Vicki will be answering questions. We have been so fortunate to have great advice from the breeders of the 4 corgis that we have had and from our veterinarians. I pray that slim corgis will be all the rage very soon! Gotta to… Fergus and Lilly are waiting for supper.

When we got our then 4-year-old corgi, her breeder told us to give her a cup of food twice daily. She weighed 25-26 pounds. We discovered that she wasn't as active at our house as a solo dog as she'd been at a kennel with other dogs, and we gradually decreased her intake to 1/2 cup twice daily. Our neighbors fed her while we were on vacation and she gained 3 pounds in 10 days! After 6 months of 1/3 cup twice daily she got back to 26 pounds.

It takes diligence but will increase how long we'll have her as well as her quality of life.

What can I do. My Sadie (turned 13, 20 Jan 2013) weighs 33-34 lbs. yet her sides below her rip cage are caved in, I can feel her ribs easily and her organs in the mornings (last feeding 5pm).She’s been on the BARF diet since she turned 10. At that age she slipped on the ice and tore something in her right arm so she could no longer do long running exercises. She has the heart of an athlete, my vet always says.It doesn’t matter if I cut her food in half, she does not lose weight, but then she whimpers. Her mix of foods are raw beef meat, organs and fat, raw chicken backs, Pink Salmon bones, meat and skin and cow and pig hooves and bones as well as raw marrow and simmered broths I make from the same for the nutrients and glucosamine complex. I portion everything she gets and she gets home made Lugol’s iodine nix the rubbing alcohol which should combat any pathogens she might pick up.The arm tear slowed her down, but she is healthy and still loves her walks – well, I walk, she goes for talk out :).Can a dog be so muscular that its weight seems to suggest obesity?It worries me so.PS she went from 27 to 34 five years ago when neighbours and roommates fed her and I was unaware.Namaste and care,mhikl

I have an 11 yr old corgi that is 5lbs heaver than should be. I've been feeding 3/4 cup of Fromms twice a day(plus treats)and now realize that's where the weight's coming from! We'll be starting on a new program tomorrow. Could someone tell me how much pumpkin to add to her food, I'd like to incorporate this into her diet. She has severe arthritis and a liver condition she's being treated for also. Would love a little help.

Thank you. So much for this! My 2year old Corgi is a little fluffy the vet suggested he lose 3to 4pounds, I started mixing in carrots and green beans in his food he gets 1/3 cup dry with 2tablespoons can of Merrick Limited ingredient food for am, for pm he gets the same without the can food. In two weeks he’s down 1 1/2 pounds. I also added an extra walk he walks 6 times a day now and he even sleeps better. I really enjoyed reading this it helped fuel my belief that I am doing the right thing.